Happy Hour Scene: Komodo Pub

Our Thursday night happy hour travels led us to Komodo Pub, located in that little section of Midtown that's home to Cyclone Anaya's, Front Porch Pub and Christian's Tailgate. We had actually started our drinking at Front Porch, hoping that the day's sunny weather had brought out our type of crowd.

It hadn't. The deck at Front Porch was crowded, but after the sun started to set, it was almost cold, leaving mostly middle-aged men in leather jackets drinking pitchers and pints from the bar's lengthy beer menu (happy hour at Front Porch is 50 cents off all drinks). There was one table of a couple 20-something women next to us, but they seemed to be there only to take advantage of Front Porch's steak night.

Drinking at Front Porch Pub.

So, we ended up at the corner of the bar in Komodo, nursing a domestic long neck ($2.75 during happy hour), and a Jack Daniels and water (JD drinks are $4 at Komodo on Thursdays). The crowd at Komodo was definitely more eclectic than at Front Porch, and it was warm inside with the jukebox rolling. A woman next to us order a glass of white wine.

"It's off," she told the bartender after taking a drink.

"Off?"

"Yes," she told him. "It doesn't taste right."

With that, the bartender poured the entire bottle of wine down the sink.

It was an interesting scene that just didn't seem right, for whatever reason. Maybe it was the surfboard hanging on the patio outside, with a shark bite chunk missing, that was an advertisement for Jimmy Buffett's Land Shark Lager. Or the man wearing khakis, sporting a Dimebag Darrell fro and beard, dancing on the steps when we came in. Or the woman, who looked like she could use a couple good nights sleep and a few good meals, pacing in front of the bar talking about her latest run-in with the police.

We hadn't expected to see wine poured down the kitchen sink.

Komodo, considering its location, might sound like a dark sushi bar that pumps techno music. But it's not. It's just a bar, built in a cozy brick house, with little nooks that are decorated with things like a wood burning stove. Happy hour at Komodo runs from 2 to 8 o'clock on weeknights. Domestic beers are $2.75, and well drinks are the same price.

The bar is mainly decorated Mardi Gras-style, with masks and beads placed throughout the house. The owner of Komodo is from New Orleans, and she also runs Lizzard's Pub, a couple blocks west of Westheimer and Kirby.

The bartender at Komodo approached us as we finished our beer.

"Is it shots-thirty," he told us, perhaps seeing us browsing through the bar's drink menu.

Not wanting to disappoint, we glanced at the menu and ordered a couple Jim Morrisons, Jager shots mixed with Saint Arnold's root beer. He returned after a couple minutes.

If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.